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GENERAL INFORMATION 


REGARDING 


THE HOT SPRINGS OF ARKANSAS. 


This circular on the Hot Springs of Arkansas has been issued in 
response to requests for reliable information which have become too 
numerous to be answered individually. 

The hot springs, 46 in number, are situated at the city of Hot 
Springs, near the center of the State of Arkansas, 50 miles southwest 
of Little Rock. In addition to the hot springs there are many cold 
springs furnishing palatable waters extensively used both in the treat- 
ment of disease and as table waters. 


LEGENDS AND HISTORY. 


The hot springs were probably visited in 1541 by De Soto, who 


died the following spring on the Mississippi, about 100 miles away. 


According to traditions the curative properties of the springs were 
known to the Indians long before the advent of theSpaniards. There 
is a tale that the various tribes battled from time to time for control 
of the hot waters, im which they believed the “Great Spirit” to be 
ever present, but that finally a truce was deciared under which their 
benefits were extended to the sick of all tribes. 

It is believed that the earliest white settlement was made about 
the xvear 1800. Dunbar and Hunter, who visited the place in Decem- 
bac! ‘1804, found an open log cabin and a few huts built of split boards 
which fad been erected by persons resorting to the springs in the 
hope of regaining their health. Manuel Prudhomme built a cabin 
there in 1807 and was joined the same year by John Perciful and 
Isaac Cates, who camped in the neighborhood and engaged in hunting 
and trapping. From this time on history is complete. 

In 1832 the hot springs and the four sections of land surrounding 
them were, by act of Congress, set aside for the future disposal of the 


_ United States, not to be entered, located, or appropriated for any 


other purpose whatever, thus making the first national park reserva- 


_ tion of the country and preserving in perpetuity, free from monopoly 


and commercial exploitation, the waters of the springs for the benefit 


of the sick. 


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89051°—11 


2 


THE RESERVATION. 


The Hot Springs Reservation contains 911.63 acres, and includes 
Hot Springs Mountain, North Mountain, West Mountain, and Whit- 
tington Lake Park. The springs are all grouped about the base of 
Hot Springs Mountain, their aggregate flow being 826,308 gallons 
per day. The hot water is supplied to the various bathhouses, and 
the receipts from this source are all expended under the direction of 
the Secretary of the Interior in improving the service and in developing 
and beautifying the reservation. There are more than 11 miles of 
well-built roads and footpaths over the mountains. 

The Government is represented at the springs by a superintendent 
and a medical director, both appointed by the Secretary of the 
Interior. The superintendent has supervision over all general 
matters connected with the Government’s interests, is disbursing 
officer, and enforces the rules and regulations of the department. 
The medical director has charge of sanitation, hydrotherapy, the 
bathing of patients, the Government free bathhouse for the indigent, 
the instruction and supervision of bath attendants, and the deter- 
mination as to their fitness for employment. 


THE CITY OF HOT SPRINGS. 


The city of Hot Springs has extended beyond the narrow valley in 
which the springs are located and spread out over the open plain to 
the south and east. It.is supplied with all the public utility services 
of the larger cities. There are churches of every denomination, 
public and private schools, hospitals and sanatoria, theaters and 
other places of amusement, a race track, and the State fair grounds. 
The resident population is about 16,000, 

There are many hotels, the largest affording accommodations for 
1,000 guests, and several hundred boarding houses ranging in price 
from $5 a week up. Cottages and apartments for light houdekeoyai 
furnished or unfurnished, can be rented from $10 a month up. | “Ge 
eost of living is about the same as in average cities of like size. ~ 

Lists of hotels and boarding houses can be obtained at the Business 
Men’s League, which is located next to the post office, and inquiries 
of a general nature not related to the administration of the baths 
will be answered by its secretary. 

The climate is good throughout the year. In the earlier days Hot 
Springs was exclusively a summer resort, the hotels being closed from 
October to March. In later years, however, owing to the number 
who come during the winter months to escape the cold of the north, 
the resort is patronized throughout the year. There is no malaria. 

The elevation of the city is 600 feet, and that of the surrounding 
hills about 1,200 feet above the level of the sea. 


3 
THE PAY BATHHOUSES. 


There are 23 pay bathhouses operated under rules and regulations 
approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Eleven are on the reser- 
vation at the base of Hot Springs Mountain, constituting what is 
known as ‘‘Bathhouse Row,” and 12 are located at various points 
in the city. Eleven are in connection with hotels, hospitals, or sani- 
toria. The water is the same in all, but the prices charged for the 
baths vary in the different houses in accordance with the equipments 
and accommodations furnished. The rates are fixed in each instance 
by the Secretary of the Interior. The charges for the services of the 
attendants are the same in all, and include all the necessities of the 
bath except furnishing towels and bath robes, laundering bath robes, 
rubbing mercury, and handling helpless invalids. 

Any dissatisfaction relative to the administration of the baths or 
the treatment of patients should be brought to the attention of the 
medical director, who will investigate the complaint and adjust any 
differences. 


Bathhouses and authorized charges, including the services of an attendant. 


: Course, 21 One 
Bathhouse. Bi bath 
AVES Os 6 Ee ES eRe ee ae Serbo ie sae aces ae a Ores toa ck a marci meme eee $13.00 $0. 65 
ER DURMINIE RS CPs 2 |. eS AE ee ee toe Se eS tea Oe 8 8.00 -45 
Teco hinsiie ae Ua pee 6 SR RR ee eee et 2 me el ee See ree PemPREe cl me ete ery — 
Sarethcal (EOIOEGD) 2 oe We oe Reet ce ei eis Ae oe Be is sere ee cE oe i eye eee 7.00 - 40 
Sp SHEL S Ta aT ee er tp a” AOS SEES meni she ee 13.00 . 65 
Great Northern 8.00 -45 
ie ee a ee sare rhe ho espace ac ee ee inl oe Da winle w wine nie eo weiwialnictsae 10. 00 - 55 
ELLs Sli G SARS Rare ee tN Biel ed oe Se eee eee Bae 7.00 . 40 
Ot SDLUPS. i. -)-\..0--- 22 et bore 10. 00 -55 
Imperial.... Boe ae 10. 00 55 
Lamar... 10. 00 55 
Magnesia. ie 8.00 +45 
Majestic...... 11.00 . 60 
SOREL RIC al eee a ery cei ae SE oS Sa ee Mee eee et xh etee } 10. 00 7p 
Bie irl MR et rea Lad 2 ad ee oe aL oe 10. 00 55 
ERT seg Re Se be a ee a en. Seneca rare ea a eed eee Sea 7.00 40 
Bele Tes ARICA RITATEN NS ois ei ha A Te Oe eh Sis ee WN de ee eal aiaial a me 9.00 50 
See AL re Pe ae Se ee eons ah Oh eben Sep ee Re Bie a ae ios Bee 10. 00 55 
Slee rate. ae ete 8 5 NF ne co rh Se mona eae is etreas aie mee 13.00 65 
12s BORD YE = 2. cS es IS oe A ac hag ee ge eo 10. 00 -55 
To a RR ANN A Soo Be ROE eee ne are We ans pins || RePeE ee a eee eg eee A ele 9.00 - 50 
Een SCIPS MU REVALY, 2 ein ten fe ek Seite eae See eS eos Saynosaeme san aae Seating 10.00 . 55 
MEEO Ts SWS eS Ue ee Pee ee tia EIN Tne oe = Se le Ses el ee ee rear 9.00 -50 


1 In process of construction. 


Bath tickets are redeemable for the same proportionate price for 
which they were sold, when presented by the original purchaser, pro- 
vided that when less than seven baths have been taken on any ticket 
presented for redemption the bathhouse may charge the rate for 
single baths for the number of baths taken on said ticket. 


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SPRUCE 


LEGEND. 


[The numbers in this list refer to the smaller num- 
bers on the map; the larger numbers on the map 
are the numbers of the squares. ] 


i. Superintendent’s office. 

2. Lamar bathhouse. 

3. Buckstaff baths. 

4. Ozark bathhouse. 

5. Magnesia bathhouse. 

6. Horse Shoe bathhouse. 

7. Palace bathhouse. 

8. Maurice bathhouse. 

9. Hale bathhouse. 

10. Superior bathhouse. 

11. Arlington Hotel and baths. 

12. Government free bathhouse. 

3. Imperial bathhouse. 

14. Hot Springs bathhouse and hotel. 

5. Rector bathhouse and Waukesha Hotel. 
16. Rockafellow bathhouse and hotel. 
i7. Majestic Hotel and baths. 

18. St. Joseph InfSrmary. 
19. Great Northern Hotel and baths. 
20. Post office. 
21. Business Men’s League. 
22. Rock Island Station. 
23. Iron Meuntain Station. 
24. Ozark Sanitorium. 
25. Alhambra bathhouse. 
26. Moody Hotel and baths. 
27. City Hall and Auditorium Theater. 
28. Electric street car lines. 
29. Main entrance to reservation. 
30. Park Hotel and baths. 
31. Eastman Hotel and baths. 
32. Arkansas National Bank. 
33. Security Bank. 
34. Citizens National Bank. 
35. Elks’ Home and Masonic Temple. 
36. First Baptist Church. 
37. First Methodist Church. 
38. Episcopal Church. 
39. Catholic Church. 
40. First Presbyterian Church. 
41. Whittingion Lake Park. 
42. High-school building. 
43. County court house. 
44. Superintendent’s official residence. 
North, West, and Hot Springs Mountains and 
Whittington Lake Park form the permanent Hot 
Springs Reservation, owned and operated by the 
Government. 


CRESCENT 


SARE TREE Se Sete Bios SSRN PUGEES YS Ny NES TES eee 


6 


THE ARMY AND NAVY GENERAL HOSPITAL. 


The Army and Navy General Hospital is also supplied with water 
from the springs. It is administered by the War Department for 
the benefit of officers and enlisted men of the military and naval 
service of the United States, cadets at the United States Military 
and Naval Academies, officers of the Revenue Cutter Service, officers 
of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, and honorably 
discharged soldiers and sailors of the Regular and Volunteer Army 
and Navy of the United States, who are suffering from such diseases 
as the waters of the hot springs of Arkansas have an established 
reputation in benefiting. 

Admission to this hospital of all such cases regardless of their 
severity is not, however, contemplated. Its facilities will not be 
extended to mild and transient cases which should yield to ordinary 
treatment, but are reserved for those of a serious and obstinate 
character, which, though resisting ordinary methods of relief, promise 
a rapid and permanent recovery from the use of the waters of the 
springs. 

Application for admission to this institution should be made to 
the Adjutant General, United States Army, at Washington, D. C. 


THE GOVERNMENT FREE BATHS. 


The Government free bathhouse for the indigent was established 
pursuant to act of Congress of December 16, 1878. The number of 
baths given to the poor during the year 1910 was 200,048. 

The act of March 2, 1911, provides that an applicant for free baths 
shall be required to make oath that he is without and unable to 
obtain means to pay for baths, and a false oath as to his financial 
condition makes him guilty of a misdemeanor and subjects him, upon 
conviction thereof, to a fine of not to exceed $25, or 30 days’ impris- 
onment, or both. 

Tickets are issued only to those who, after examination, are found 
to be suffering from diseases that may reasonably be expected to be 
benefited by the baths. Children are not allowed in the bathhouse 
unless they themselves are patients. 

Those who intend making application for these baths are advised 
that no other treatment is provided. There is no hospital attached, 
and they must provide their own board and lodging. There are no 
hospitals in the city of Hot Springs to which patients can be admit- 
ted free of charge, nor are any funds available from which relief can 
be afforded or railroad transportation furnished to their homes. 
This statement appears necessary, as many destitute invalids come 
each year from other and distant States in the belief that the Gov- 
ernment maintains a public institution at which they will be cared 
for free of charge. 


7 


THE CHARACTER AND ACTION OF THE WATERS. 


The source of the heat is believed to be great masses of igneous 
rock intruded in the earth’s crust by volcanic agencies. Deep-seated 
waters converted into vapors by contact with this heated mass 
probably ascend through fissures toward the surface where they meet 
cold springs, which are heated by the vapors. 

The waters are radioactive in a marked degree, and to the pres- 

ence of this rare element in gaseous form is now generally attributed 
their salutary effects. The baths create a reaction accompanied 
by an elevation of body temperature, accelerated heart action 
with diminished blood pressure in the arteries, and a stimulation of 
the nutritive changes in the tissue cells, especially those composing 
‘the organs of elimination and those concerned in the formation of 
the blood. The mineral constituent is very low, and when the waters 
are taken internally, combined with the sweating produced by the 
baths and packs, elimination by all the emunctories is greatly 
increased. 

The hot waters may reasonably be expected to give relief in the 
following conditions: In gout or rheumatism after the acute or inflam- 
matory stage; in neuralgia when dependent upon gout, rheuma- 
tism, malaria, or metallic poisoning; in the early stages of chronic 
Bright’s disease; in catarrhal conditions of the gall bladder; in 
certain forms of disease of the pelvic organs, and in sterility in 
women; in chronic malaria, alcoholism, and drug addictions; in 
many chronic skin diseases; in some forms of anemia; in syphilis; 
in gonorrheal rheumatism; in toxzemias and conditions of defective 
elimination; and in some forms of cardiovascular disease with 
increased tension in the blood vessels. 

The general tonic and recuperative effects are marked in conditions 
of debility and neurasthenia due to the strain and fatigue incident 
to social and business cares and responsibilities, and in many other 
conditions the baths and climate are useful adjutants to medical 
treatment. The reservation parks afford opportunities for out-of- 
door life, driving, riding, automobiling, and hill climbing. Much 
importance is attached by local physicians to the possibilities for 
out-of-door life. 

The baths are contraindicated in tuberculosis of the throat and 
lungs and in all forms of cancer. 

As the therapeutic value of the baths is dependent upon the radio- 
activity of the waters, rather than upon any mineral constituent, a 
complete chemical analysis is omitted from this circular. It will, 
however, be furnished to those interested on application to the super- 
intendent or the medical director of the reservation. 


8 


PHYSICIANS. 


The only physicians who are allowed to prescribe the waters of 
the hot springs are those licensed practitioners of the State of Arkan- 
sas who have been examined by a Federal board of medical exam- 
iners appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. Visitors are warned 
that physicians who have not passed the Federal board and been 
registered in the superintendent’s office, are not permitted to make 
use of the baths in the treatment of their patients. This rule is for 
the protection of visitors who, if they desire the baths, should before 
employing a physician, procure from the superintendent of the 
reservation a list of the qualified practitioners. 

While the baths may be taken without the advice of a physician 
by procuring apermit at the office of the superintendent, this practice 
isnotrecommended. Patients who assume to determine the nature of 
their ailments, and to prescribe for themselves, often fail to obtain the 
desired relief. The waters are not beneficial in all diseases and in 
some are harmful. It is a useless expenditure of time and money to 
take the baths for a disease that will not be benefited by them, and 
such procedure can only result in delaying proper treatment. 

Physicians’ fees are from $25 a month up, according to the treat- 
ment required. 

Visitors are advised for their own protection that soliciting for hotels, 
boarding houses, or doctors on the trains running into Hot Springs is in 


violation of law, and are warned against heeding the advice of irre- Pi 


sponsible and unknown persons. 

In the interest of the public it has been found necessary to pro- 
hibit the bathing of anyone stopping at a hotel or boarding house in 
which the solicitation of patronage for doctors is allowed. Such 
solicitation usually takes the form of advising the patient that the 
doctor to whom he has been recommended by a friend at home is 
out of town, but that Dr. X is as good a man and will treat him for 
lessmoney. The drummer commonly poses as a greatly benefited and 
grateful patient of the doctor who employs him. Doctors who make 
use of agents to induce patients to take treatment from them usually 
divide their fees with the solicitors or drummers. 

The moral responsibility of good citizenship demands that visitors 
should make known to the superintendent of the reservation any 
instance of soliciting for doctors, thus effectively aiding the depart- 
ment in eliminating an obnoxious practice, and insuring to themselves 
the full benefits of proper treatment at this resort. 


RAILROADS. 


The railroads running into Hot Springs are the Chicago, Rock 
Island & Pacific and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern. 
Through cars are operated from many of the larger cities. Detailed 
information can be obtained from local ticket agents. 


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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 


This book is due on the date indicated below, or at the 
expiration of a definite period after the date of borrowing, as 
provided by the rules of the Library or by special arrange-- 
ment with the Librarian in charge. | 


DATE BORROWED DATE DUE DATE BORROWED DATE DUE 


c28(1141)M100 


RA805.H792 Un3 


U. S. Dept. of the interior. 


KA GOS Lipa 
H7¢2 


